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Glasspoole was staying at the home of her boyfriend, Mike Reusch, at 950 Hutch Mountain Road. It was a blistery but otherwise normal afternoon when they say a faulty string of lights in the garage sparked a flame that destroyed the structure and then the home.

They called 911 around 1 p.m. Within minutes, the fire had consumed the garage and spread to the side of the home eight feet away.

Joe Swain, assistant fire marshal for Henderson County, said the garage was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived. The fire had reached the house's siding and was starting to roll in the attic and front window when firefighters hooked up to their first tanker of water.

Several other tankers from seven stations waited along Hutch Mountain Road, ready to refill the engine with a steady supply of water.

"The fire department laid a line from one truck to the other to supply the engine with water," Swain said.

The blaze was contained by 3 p.m. The garage was a total loss and the part of the home that was not destroyed by fire was severely damaged by smoke, Swain said.

The fire is still under investigation.

"We know the garage burned first, but we're not sure exactly how it started," Swain said.

Reusch said he had taken a break from cleaning the garage, where he had unplugged some lights, and walked to the house. When he returned to the garage, it was on fire.

Reusch said he grabbed a fire extinguisher, pulled its pin and pressed the trigger, but "nothing came out."

"If the fire extinguisher just would have worked, I could have put it out," he said, shaking his head.

Reusch said he knew the extinguisher worked because he tested it when he first got it. But Swain said testing it the first time may have been why it failed to work Thursday.

"You should not test a fire extinguisher," Swain said, adding that the propellant used to extinguish the flames "can leak out when you break the seal."

Reusch was able to get everyone out to safety, but regretted not grabbing his coat as he shivered in the winter air waiting for the American Red Cross to arrive.

The home belonged to Reusch's father, Ronald Reusch, of West Hempstead, N.Y. Mike Reusch moved to the area about five years ago.

"We don't have anywhere to go," he said. "I don't know what we're going to do."

The Fletcher, Skyland, Fairview, Edneyville, Blue Ridge, Mills River and Mountain Home fire departments, along with Henderson County EMS and the Henderson County Rescue Squad, Fletcher Police Department and N.C. Highway Patrol, also responded.

<p>FLETCHER — "It happened really fast," Alicia Glasspoole said as she looked back at the towering smoke from the flames that claimed a home on Hutch Mountain Road Thursday. </p><p>Glasspoole was staying at the home of her boyfriend, Mike Reusch, at 950 Hutch Mountain Road. It was a blistery but otherwise normal afternoon when they say a faulty string of lights in the garage sparked a flame that destroyed the structure and then the home. </p><p>They called 911 around 1 p.m. Within minutes, the fire had consumed the garage and spread to the side of the home eight feet away.</p><p>Joe Swain, assistant fire marshal for Henderson County, said the garage was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived. The fire had reached the house's siding and was starting to roll in the attic and front window when firefighters hooked up to their first tanker of water. </p><p>Several other tankers from seven stations waited along Hutch Mountain Road, ready to refill the engine with a steady supply of water. </p><p>"The fire department laid a line from one truck to the other to supply the engine with water," Swain said.</p><p>The blaze was contained by 3 p.m. The garage was a total loss and the part of the home that was not destroyed by fire was severely damaged by smoke, Swain said.</p><p>The fire is still under investigation.</p><p>"We know the garage burned first, but we're not sure exactly how it started," Swain said. </p><p>Reusch said he had taken a break from cleaning the garage, where he had unplugged some lights, and walked to the house. When he returned to the garage, it was on fire.</p><p>Reusch said he grabbed a fire extinguisher, pulled its pin and pressed the trigger, but "nothing came out." </p><p>"If the fire extinguisher just would have worked, I could have put it out," he said, shaking his head.</p><p>Reusch said he knew the extinguisher worked because he tested it when he first got it. But Swain said testing it the first time may have been why it failed to work Thursday. </p><p>"You should not test a fire extinguisher," Swain said, adding that the propellant used to extinguish the flames "can leak out when you break the seal."</p><p>Reusch was able to get everyone out to safety, but regretted not grabbing his coat as he shivered in the winter air waiting for the American Red Cross to arrive.</p><p>The home belonged to Reusch's father, Ronald Reusch, of West Hempstead, N.Y. Mike Reusch moved to the area about five years ago.</p><p>"We don't have anywhere to go," he said. "I don't know what we're going to do." </p><p>The Fletcher, Skyland, Fairview, Edneyville, Blue Ridge, Mills River and Mountain Home fire departments, along with Henderson County EMS and the Henderson County Rescue Squad, Fletcher Police Department and N.C. Highway Patrol, also responded. </p><p>Reach Weaver at emily.weaver@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7867.</p>